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I was going to write a post about how Ubud is not the paradise many people claim it to be (too much traffic! too many tourists!). Then I decided it would be better to share our photos from Nusa Penida, an island not far off the coast of Bali which is pretty heavenly. (Don’t miss: […]

Our slow recovery from the depths of dengue has left the blog a little stale. Sorry about that. I hope these pictures of Ubud will help a little. Everywhere you look here, there is art. Folk art abounds. Nature is pretty striking here, too. As always, the people are fascinating, locals and tourists alike. Plus, […]

15,720 km so far. As I sit here enjoying some of the best coffee I have had on my travels, I am thinking back on all the great experiences we have had thanks to my coffee addiction. Whether it was getting off the train in Helsingborg, Sweden just to visit Koppi, searching out the elusive […]

15,720 km so far. Being off the bikes has made keeping up with writing a little more difficult. Our routine has dissolved into nothing, leaving us undisciplined when it comes to getting our work done. I completely forgot to make notes for today, so two days later, as I write this, I am blanking on […]

15,706 km so far. Getting around Bali is not a walk in the park. I had set up a meeting for this morning with the owners of Desa Seni, an eco-village resort (their name means Art Village), not 30 km from where we are staying. Because traffic can be crazy and the hills are steep […]

15,706 km so far. Slowly, we are re-acclimating to a lifestyle which does not involve constant exercise, perpetually dirty clothes, and profuse sweating. I know, it’s weird, right? The Civilised World Today we were lucky enough to get to practice our social skills amongst Amy Petty’s great group of yoga retreat students. They were gracious […]

15,706 km so far. We are now officially off our bikes. Our journey isn’t over, and we may yet do some cycling on Bali, but we will be spending the next few weeks adjusting to a different pace of life and figuring out how to re-enter normal society. We’ve decided to keep writing until August […]

15,706 km so far. Maybe it was the terrible sleep we both had last night, with wild dreams caused by overly rich food too close to bedtime. Maybe it was the exhaustion from one too many tough rides in a row. Maybe it was the heightened aggression of the traffic. Maybe some planet was in […]

15,604 km so far. A little more than 15 months ago Jane and I dreamed our trip would one day bring us to Bali. When we were in Berlin in September last year, the dream started seeming realistic enough for us to print “Beijing to Bali” cards for the second half of our trip. In […]

15,480 km so far. After yesterday’s kerfuffle with the incompetent and dishonest folks who run the various public transportation options on Java, there was nothing for it but to get on our bikes and ride. But first, we enjoyed a hearty and delicious breakfast in the garden at Rumah Wahidin, which we highly recommend if […]